Classic Cello Welcomes Start of Final Round; Contestants Perform Alongside Philharmonia Orchestra and Tomàs Grau
Organised by CMDI, and helmed by President Konstantin Ishkhanov, Classic Cello saw 40 of the world’s finest young cellists gather in London to showcase their talents in one of the world’s major music capitals. Now, following two highly competitive rounds, this cohort has been whittled down to a select group of contestants, each of whom is required to perform two concertos, one selected from a set list including works by Édouard Lalo, Edward Elgar, and Robert Schumann, and another chosen from amongst three offerings by the competition’s Composer-in-Residence, Alexey Shor.
“I enjoyed it tremendously!”, said Elliot Sloss, one of the contestants who performed on this opening day. “It was amazing, and very fulfilling to play these pieces with an orchestra. The Elgar concerto is such a tremendous work and I think the Alexey Shor is incredibly charming, so to put them together with the orchestra just makes it so much better. It was the first time I’ve ever performed either with an orchestra, so it was a really special time for me to get to play them in this way.”
“The Elgar concerto was the first cello concerto I fell in love with back when I was 12 years old”, he added, “so it was really special to get to do that right now, and this was the first time I performed anything by Shor; it was very charming, and I loved all the little characters in the different movements, and the second movement in particular was just so beautiful, so it was a good time! I took a listen to all the three concertos because there’s many great recordings, and the No. 3 just stood out to me as the one I connected with the most. I had no idea the composer was actually present, but that’s amazing, I would really like to meet him now!”
With the orchestra now joining the proceedings, this stage represents a significant shift in scale and demand, requiring not only technical mastery but also the ability to collaborate and project within a full symphonic setting. The performances on this opening day demonstrated a high level of musical maturity, as each participant brought their own interpretation and artistic voice to the concerto repertoire.
“It’s been a real pleasure to be here in London at the Royal College of Music listening to these wonderful young cellists”, said jury member Kathryn Enticott. “We’ve had such a range of artists, with so many different sounds and different interpretations, and it’s been just fascinating to hear the different musicians interpret these pieces in so many ways. Now they’re playing with the orchestra in this round, which must be such a big deal for many of these artists, because I can imagine that some of them may have never played with orchestras before, and certainly not orchestras like the Philharmonia Orchestra.”
“This is the first time I’m hearing the cello concertos by Alexey Shor”, she continued. “It’s very interesting to hear them. I’ve only heard two of them so far, so I’m looking forward to hearing more. And because they will all have learnt these concertos especially for the competition, it’s interesting for me to hear them perform new works, and I think it’s important that composers of today are represented in all competitions; it can only be a good thing!”
All finalists in this round are guaranteed a share of the competition’s total prize fund, which exceeds €130,000, with the overall winner set to receive a First Prize of €50,000. In addition, a number of Special Prizes and Awards will be presented, offering further opportunities for recognition and professional development for the contestants.
The Final Round will continue over the coming days, concluding on 6th April, followed by the official prize-giving ceremony which will be held later the same day.
